Atlanta
CNN
—
Most restaurants are usually thrilled to have Keith Lee review their food.
With more than 14.5 million followers on TikTok alone, Lee brings exposure that has helped turn some businesses around, with lines out the door and praise from grateful owners.
Then Lee came to Atlanta.
His visit brought viral videos, death threats, responses from Grammy-winning artists and what some say is a long overdue reckoning for the Atlanta restaurant scene.
Lee is a 27-year-old former MMA fighter who has found so much fame reviewing eateries that it’s now a full-time gig.
Unlike some food influencers who get paid for their reviews and opinions, Lee says in his videos that he pays for his own meals and even sends family members to pick up his orders so he’s not recognized and given special treatment.
The everyman reviewer, who lives in Las Vegas, has a trademark style: He eats the food in his vehicle and records his reactions, while always encouraging his followers to not go by his experience alone and to try out the establishments themselves.
Lee also tries to dissuade his followers from being negative on social media towards the businesses whose food he hasn’t rated highly, often pointing out that any company can have a bad day and to bear in mind that people depend on their business for their livelihood.
His focus on small businesses and food trucks — often Black owned — has endeared him to the eatery owners who have gotten good reviews. Having him taste your food is referred to online as being “Keith Lee-d.”
So there was initially a sense of excitement when Lee’s followers discovered he was visiting Atlanta as part of a food tour he and his family have undertaken across the country.
In recent years Atlanta has become a culinary hotspot, with…
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